Egypt says 6 militants killed in raid north of Cairo

CAIRO: Egypt’s Interior Ministry says its forces have killed six militants in a raid on their hideout in Beheira province, north of Cairo.

The ministry said in a statement Thursday the militants belonged to Hasm, a group it considers to be a splinter of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. It said two others were arrested.

On Wednesday, a security official said four militants were killed in a shootout in southern Assiut province. The ministry confirmed those fatalities in Thursday’s statement.

The ministry said the militants killed in both raids were behind an explosion that targeted the convoy of Alexandria’s former security chief in March. The official survived but two policemen were killed.

Hasm routinely targets security personnel. Militant attacks have surged in Egypt since the 2013 military ouster of an elected Islamist president.—AP